Wanderings in the Wilderness

1Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spoke unto me: and we went around mount Seir many days.

2And the LORD spoke unto me, saying,

3You have gone around this mountain long enough: turn northward.

4And command the people, saying, You are to pass through the territory of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take you good heed unto yourselves therefore:

5Meddle not with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

6You shall buy food from them for money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them for money, that you may drink.

7For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the works of your hand: he knows your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.

8And when we passed by away from our brethren the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongeber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

9And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give you their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

10The Emim dwelt there in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim;

11Who also were considered giants, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

12The Horites also dwelt in Seir formerly; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.

13Now rise up, said the LORD, and get over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.

14And the time in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were perished from among the camp as the LORD swore unto them.

15For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.

16So it came to pass, when all the men of war were perished and dead from among the people,

17That the LORD spoke unto me, saying,

18You are to pass over through Ar, the boundary of Moab, this day:

19And when you come near the border of the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

20(That also was regarded as a land of giants: giants dwelt there formerly; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim;

21A people great, and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:

22As he did to the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:

23And the Avvim who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

King Sihon Defeated

24Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

25This day will I begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear reports of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.

26And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

27Let me pass through your land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.

28You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;

29(As the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.

30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD your God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.

31And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before you: begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.

32Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

33And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we defeated him, and his sons, and all his people.

34And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

35Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

36From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:

37Only unto the land of the children of Ammon you came not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbade us.